


your rule of thumb makes me worry some

by curiouslyfic



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-15 23:12:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3465560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouslyfic/pseuds/curiouslyfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her job’s a lot like raising Felicity, actually, except this comes with dental.</p>
            </blockquote>





	your rule of thumb makes me worry some

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hazelandglasz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelandglasz/gifts).



Reception isn’t all it’s cracked up to be but she likes Starling and her boss is cute, so Donna Smoak is dealing with it.

Sure beats chasing tips at the Starlight Lounge, anyway.

.

Ray probably doesn’t even mean to hire her, it just sort of happens. She’s in town for a visit and Felicity’s all tied up at work and Donna stops by with lunch for her because like hell Donna’s going sightseeing anywhere that doesn’t have a proper casino.

Felicity’s stuck in her office having some kind of closed-door meeting with Ray and the phone at her receptionist’s desk just won’t stop ringing and Donna’s had enough, she just swans right in with a takeout bag of deli before anyone can tell her any different.

“You’ll have to call back, hon, it’s time for lunch,” Donna says, sweet as pie, and she pokes delicately at the phone. Pokes again when it beeps at her and successfully clears the line.

“Mom, I was on that,” Felicity protests but Donna’s already got the bag unpacked, so that won’t last, Donna knows her baby’s weakness. Felicity stops talking to stare helplessly. “Are those knishes?”

Donna blinks at her, as guileless as a mom can be. “Oh, honey, did you want some? I brought these for Ray.”

Ray looks like he hasn’t seen food for ages. He also looks afraid to touch a knish. Smart boy, that one. Donna likes him already.

“Where did you find these?” Felicity says as she loads a plate. “I have been looking for decent deli in Starling for four years and you know what I’ve found? Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.” Felicity turns suspicious. “Are you the deli fairy?”

Donna doesn’t point out what a bit of cleavage and a nice smile can do — that porn star crack really hurt and she doesn’t want to risk hearing something like it again — but she does preen a little under Felicity’s awe. “What can I say? I’m a problem solver.”

“You keep this up, we’ll have to steal you away, keep you right here with us in Starling,” Ray says with what he probably thinks is a real slick wink and Donna considers her future in Vegas, 60 hour weeks in three inch heels charming hands drunks for decent tips, and you know, she thinks she’s done with that.

“I can start Monday,” she says, and when Ray stares at her like he’s confused, she just pats his hand.

.

 

Most of her job is answering phones and making sure Ray Palmer gets where he’s going on time, though Donna is pretty sure there’s more to it than that. She’s good at sizing people up pretty fast, figuring out how to handle them, and Ray’s started calling her the shareholder whisperer and watching her like he stares at Felicity sometimes, and that is _at least_ as important as chasing him out of his office or making sure he eats.

Sometimes Ray gets excited and there’s no one else around, so Donna finds herself smiling and nodding while he talks techno-whatsits at her. She can’t even say those words, let alone understand what he’s saying, but if Ray is excited, she can be, too.

.

“Mom, why is Ray sending us on a three-hour lunch?” Felicity whispers, casting worried looks down the hall as they wait for the elevator. Working on the top floor of the Palmer Industries building is pretty great — the view is fantastic — but the elevator isn’t always speedy.

“That’s the deal,” Donna says, blinking at her baby. “Every time I’m good for R&D, I get a long lunch and an hour with the expense account.”

Felicity just looks worried. “What does that mean, good for R&D?”

Donna knows this one, she’s heard Ray say it a dozen times in his captain of industry tone since they met. “I’m a growth industry, baby. The anti-power user.” Felicity’s eyes just get wider. Donna gets it, she doesn’t really understand what Ray means, either, she just knows what he snaps at people when they call. “Means I broke the phones again.”

Felicity chokes on nothing, just like the help desk does when she calls.

.

Her job’s a lot like raising Felicity, actually, except this comes with dental.

 

 

 


End file.
